He Lost Himself
Early in his career, Leonard Nimoy decided he would be a more successful actor playing supporting roles. Well, Nimoy should’ve been careful what he wished for. For the bulk of his career, he ended up playing the role of Spock, the second fiddle to William Shatner’s Captain Kirk in Star Trek-related media.
As he got deeper into his role, Nimoy found that the character of Spock was taking over his personality—and when it cost him a marriage, he knew he had to do something drastic.
1. His Childhood Wasn’t Typical
Leonard Simon Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 26, 1931. He had an unusual childhood, working a series of odd jobs to help bring money to his family. He sold newspapers, shined shoes, and worked in a theater, all while indulging in a hobby: acting.
Now all he had to do was convince his parents that acting was his future.
2. He Turned His Back On His Parents
At the young age of eight, Leonard Nimoy knew he wanted to act. He started at a theater for children in his neighborhood. While his grandfather supported his dream, his parents wanted him to go to college. They even suggested learning to play the accordion so he’d have a stable income. At 17, Nimoy got a role in Awake and Sing!, and it “lit a passion” within him.
Nimoy knew he had to turn his back on his parents and follow his dream.
3. He Walked Away From His Dream
Leonard Nimoy attended Boston College for drama lessons and then made the big move to Los Angeles. His goal was to attend the Pasadena Playhouse, which boasts alumni like Gene Hackman and Ariana Grande. To pay for school, Nimoy sold vacuums, drove a taxi, and filled vending machines. After all that work, Nimoy finally had a spot at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Surprisingly, he quit after just six months.
4. He Got The Lead
Nimoy had turned his back on acting school and was trying things out on his own. He thought he had struck it rich with a lead in the film Kid Monk Baroni. Maybe it was the odd mash-up of film noir and sports drama that made this film mostly forgettable. A devastated Nimoy realized that his dream of being a star was just as far away as it had been before this film.
5. He Signed Up
In 1953, Nimoy put his acting career on hold to serve his country. He went to work at Fort McPherson for the US Army Reserve. While serving, he managed to continue acting by joining the Army Special Services and putting on shows that he wrote and emceed. He also somehow found the time for romance.
6. He Started A Family
In 1954, Leonard Nimoy met and married Sandra Zober. By the time he left the army, she was carrying their second child. Of course, this meant Nimoy had to start earning money to feed his family. They were living in a rented apartment in LA, and Nimoy took a job as a cab driver.
His dreams of being an actor seemed further away than ever.
7. He Tried Being A Tough Guy
While driving a cab to feed his family, Nimoy’s lead role in Kid Monk Baroni had found a bigger audience on television. His name was starting to mean something. Because that film had been about a boxer, Nimoy started getting roles as a tough guy. It was at this time that he decided his future lay in being a character actor and not the lead.
Nimoy could only hope that this new idea would propel his career.
8. He Was A B-movie Actor
As a character actor, Leonard Nimoy made many appearances on TV and in the movies. For TV, it was on respected shows like Dragnet and Perry Mason. On the big screen, he appeared mostly in B movies with titles like Zombies of the Stratosphere. Sadly, he still had to do odd jobs for cash. He added new professions like selling pets and delivering newspapers to his cab driving.
All he could do was hope for the day he could be a full-time actor.
9. He Met A Trekkie
For the next five years, Nimoy focused on building a TV career. During this time, he appeared in many TV shows. On The Man From UNCLE, he met up with another rising star: William Shatner. Nimoy played the villain, and Shatner was working for UNCLE. Little did these two know, but they would soon be on the same side and making TV history.
10. He Received A Prestige Offer
Around this time, there was an incredibly popular show called Peyton Place. This was a prime time soap which had a cast that included up-and-coming movie stars like Mia Farrow and Ryan O’Neal. Nimoy received an offer of a role on this prestigious show, and imagined he could finally give up his day jobs.
But he hesitated because of another offer on the table.
11. He Had A Big Decision To Make
Leonard Nimoy had made a pilot for a sci-fi TV series called The Cage. NBC didn’t like it and decided to start again from scratch. The only thing they were keeping was Nimoy’s character, Mr Spock. So, Nimoy had two options. A role on an already established TV show, Peyton Place, and this new sci-fi show that was a huge gamble.
Well, everyone now knows which one he chose.
12. They Embarked On A Journey
When Leonard Nimoy showed up to film the second pilot, he met up with his old castmate from The Man from UNCLE, William Shatner. Also along for the ride were James Doohan and George Takei. These four men were about to embark on a journey that would lead to a successful TV series, launch 14 blockbuster feature films, and create a cult following of fans like no other.
If Nimoy wanted his character in Star Trek to stand out, he’d have to use everything he had.
13. He Invented The Pinch
Some of the things that made Nimoy’s Mr Spock unique came from Nimoy’s own imagination. When the writers wanted Spock to knock out his enemies by hitting them with the end of his phaser, Nimoy suggested that Spock would do it with more sophistication. He suggested a simple pinch that became known as the “Vulcan nerve pinch”.
He also worked on a greeting.
14. He Used His Own History
When Leonard Nimoy wanted to develop a unique hand symbol for Spock, he looked back to his Jewish roots. He remembered how the Jewish priests would give their Priestly Blessing and used that as a source for Spock’s unusual greeting. Because of these subtle additions, Nimoy’s Spock was getting a lot of attention.
He had to get ready for a backlash.
15. He Was Too Popular
While Star Trek certainly had William Shatner’s character at the helm, sometimes it felt like Nimoy’s Spock was the favorite. Shatner wanted to be clear that he was the lead actor, so he did something to make it plain to the eye. He insisted that, in the opening credits, his name was ten percent larger than Nimoy’s.
That kept Shatner happy for a while, but then something happened that brought this little feud to a head.
16. He Angered His Co-Star
At one point during Star Trek’s time on TV, Life magazine sent a photographer to the set. When Shatner realized that the photographer was there only to photograph Nimoy, he made a B-line for his dressing room. This prompted Nimoy to do the same. They had to put production of the episode on hold while the two main stars saw who could out-sulk the other.
Well, there was one contest between Nimoy and Shatner that had a clear winner.
17. He Was A Tower
One area where Leonard Nimoy would always win against William Shatner was in height. Nimoy towered over Shatner and all the other crew members. Shatner even went to the extreme measure of wearing heels and putting lifts in his shoes. To Nimoy’s glee, Shatner had to stop as it made his stomach stick out.
But these two “frenemies” had one annoying thing in common.
18. He Had A Ringing In His Ear
Nimoy and Shatner were mostly friends while making Star Trek. After all, they were born just four days apart. They also both had tinnitus, which meant that they had a ringing in their ears. Although this may not have been a coincidence. Many believe their hearing was impacted by a special effects explosion while filming an episode of Star Trek.
Nimoy had given everything, even his hearing, to this show. It just had to be a hit.
19. It Was Going Down
One of the problems with Star Trek was that it appealed to a literate audience, which was not a huge audience. The show, especially with Nimoy as Spock, was developing a core group of fans, but what NBC wanted was a huge group of fans. As the first season ended with low ratings, it seemed like Nimoy would have been better with Peyton Place.
NBC now had to decide whether to keep Star Trek or end it. Nimoy’s future was in serious jeopardy.
20. It Was Over
Miraculously, NBC decided on a second season of Star Trek. When this season still failed to make the show a hit, NBC made huge budget cuts to the third season. With a smaller budget, the show failed to recover. Nimoy filmed the final episode on January 9, 1969, and by February, they had canceled it. Nimoy had no idea that there was still plenty of work coming his way as Spock.
He believed he needed a job.
21. He Found A New Role
Just as Leonard Nimoy was jumping ship from the USS Enterprise, he found a new show: Mission: Impossible. Here, he got a recurring role as a character named “The Great Paris” who was an expert in languages, disguises, and roleplay. Nimoy stayed with Mission: Impossible for two seasons.
It had been six years since Nimoy’s last film role. It was time to give it another crack.
22. He Was In The Worst
For his first film role in six years, Nimoy went as far from Star Trek as he could get. It was a Western called Catlow. With co-stars like Yul Brynner and Richard Crenna, it was sure to be a hit. Director Quentin Tarantino later added this movie to his list of the worst westerns of that decade. Nimoy would once again put movie-making on the back burner.
But the character of Spock would not let go of Nimoy so easily.
23. He Was All Over Town
One night in 1975, Leonard Nimoy and his wife were having dinner in London with Henry Fonda and his wife. Fonda wanted to know what Nimoy thought about seeing his image on billboards all over London. Nimoy didn't know about any billboards, and Fonda couldn’t believe his ears.
As it turned out, these billboards were all about another set of ears.
24. It Was A Bad Joke
Once Nimoy got a look at the ads, he went ballistic. The ads showed that drinking Heineken made Spock’s ears go from limp to erect. Nimoy didn't like the innuendo and went to Paramount to discuss it. Once he started talking to Paramount, he went from angry to irate. As it turned out, they’d stopped paying him royalties for using his image.
It sounded like it was time for a lawsuit.
25. He Had A Secret Weapon
When Nimoy went to Paramount with a lawsuit, they assumed that with their bottomless pockets, they’d win easily. But Nimoy had a secret weapon. He knew that they wanted to make Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and they would need him. He refused to read the script until they settled the lawsuit.
Paramount had a decision to make: bow to Nimoy’s demand or make a Star Trek movie without Spock.
26. They Begged Him
Paramount sent producer Jeffrey Katzenberg to convince Nimoy to sign on for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Katzenberg gave Nimoy a check for the amount he’d missed out on in royalties and then added a little drama. He got down on his hands and knees and begged. Nimoy agreed, but added script approval for good measure.
In the end, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was only a middling hit, so Nimoy turned to more interesting projects.
27. He Starred With An Icon
For the next few years, Nimoy would focus on made-for-TV movies. A Woman Called Golda was a standout that gave Nimoy the chance to appear with Ingrid Bergman in her final production. It was a personal triumph for Nimoy as he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Special.
But there was always Spock, waiting in the background.
28. He Wanted To Go Down With The Ship
That same year, Paramount was making the first sequel of the Star Trek film series. The first film had not done well, and Nimoy wanted nothing to do with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. But the studio really wanted Nimoy, so they made him a promise: they would let Spock perish in a spectacular scene. Assuming that this was the final film of the franchise, Nimoy agreed.
This would not end here.
29. The Fans Protested
Paramount did not hide the fact that Spock would see his last days in this film. Fans launched a letter-writing campaign and some even sent letters suggesting that they would end Nimoy’s life if Paramount went ahead with it. To make matters worse, test audiences were not happy with the darkness of the ending.
Paramount had to do something about Spock.
30. The End Shocked Him
When Leonard Nimoy settled in to watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, he assumed it would be his last Star Trek film. When he saw the end, he had a shock. There was a scene with his coffin on the Genesis planet. That’s when he first got a clue that his relationship with Spock and Paramount was far from over.
But now, Nimoy had the upper hand.
31. He Got His Way
Since Paramount had left Spock in a “is he alive or not” situation, Nimoy knew they probably wanted him for the next movie. He went to Paramount and insisted that if they wanted him as Spock, they’d have to also make him the director of the next film. Paramount had little choice, and Nimoy signed on to direct Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Now he would have to prove himself as a director.
32. It Was A Little Meh
Nimoy had fought to direct Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and he anxiously awaited the critical response. It's hard to imagine what he thought of reviews that were good but not great. Nimoy might have had positive feelings when USA Today said that this film was the closest to the TV series. For a $16 million budget, the box office of $87 million was good but not out of this world.
What Nimoy needed was a second chance.
33. He Tried Again
Nimoy was back in the director’s chair for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. This installment of the franchise has a lighter tone than previous ones and also has an “eco” plot. Nimoy later called it the “most well received of all Star Trek films,” and at this point in the franchise, he was right. It was a success for Nimoy.
Now he needed to leverage this success for another stab at directing.
34. He Slayed In A Comedy
The following year, Nimoy went out on a limb: he directed a comedy. This was Three Men and a Baby, and it was a breakout hit. While the critical response was just “generally positive”, the box office was outrageous—$240 million on a $15 million budget. This clinched it. Nimoy could go on to have a successful career as a director.
But Spock was again calling his name.
35. They Faced Off
For Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Leonard Nimoy would face something he should have known was inevitable. Since he and William Shatner had always been friendly competitors, it was no surprise when Shatner wanted to step up as director. It could only be awkward for Nimoy to suddenly have the roles reversed.
Of course, Nimoy and Shanter would anxiously await the critical response. One of the two had to emerge as the winning director.
36. There Was A Clear Winner
Shatner’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier received mostly negative reviews. Caryn James of The New York Times called it “disappointing to fans and non-fans alike”. The box office was no better. In the battle of the directors, Nimoy was the clear winner.
In his personal life, however, there was no clear winner. Only betrayal.
37. He Made A Switch
Back in 1954, Nimoy had married Sandra Zober, and they quickly had two kids. Instead of celebrating her 56th birthday with a nice dinner out, Nimoy left her and began divorce proceedings to end their 32 years of marriage. Two years later, Nimoy married actress Susan Bay, who is the cousin of celebrated director Michael Bay.
Of course, everyone wanted to know what happened to his first marriage.
38. Spock Ended His Marriage
Some believe that the end of Nimoy’s first marriage was a result of a sort of identity crisis. He was becoming more and more like Spock right before his wife's eyes. It also didn’t help that his fame was out of control, and he, at times, turned to drinking to deal with it. But playing Spock had cost Nimoy more than his marriage.
39. He Lost Himself
When Nimoy was appearing as Spock in the original series, he was playing the character for up to 14 hours a day, five days a week. He said that even on weekends, he would lose his identity and find himself acting “more logical, more rational” and “less emotional". As the weekend progressed, he’d find himself again, but then on Monday it would be Spock all over again.
Nimoy would turn to writing to find himself again.
40. He Had An Identity Crisis
Despite all of his successes outside of Star Trek, Nimoy continued to suffer a sort of identity crisis with his most famous role. In his two autobiographies, he had to write from a perspective where Nimoy lives in coexistence with Spock. The titles of his two books reflect his confusion. They are 1975’s I Am Not Spock, and 1995’s I Am Spock.
But playing this role even cost him his name.
41. He Sold His Name
In 1993, Nimoy made a startling confession. He was at a convention in Toronto when a fan asked him for an autograph. He told the fan that he had actually sold his signature, and from here on in, he could only sign items that the owners of his signature had previously authorized. Somehow, Star Trek had come to own even Nimoy’s name.
It was time that Nimoy did something to end this.
42. He Was AWOL
In 1994, preparations were underway for the seventh Star Trek film, Star Trek Generations. Paramount actually wanted Nimoy to direct the film. Nimoy not only declined to direct, he also declined to appear in the film at all. The film did well at the box office, but reviews were tepid.
It looked like Nimoy was finally through playing Spock.
Maybe he could get back into his music.
43. He Was A Musician
When Leonard Nimoy wasn’t being Spock, he was, at times, a musician. In fact, as the original Star Trek TV show was coming to an end, he signed a contract with Dot Records, which was actually owned by Star Trek producer Paramount. His first of five albums bore the name, Mr Spock’s Music from Outer Space. So, I guess he was still being Spock after all.
But in two popular music videos, he was a long way from playing Spock.
44. He Stayed Relevant
In 1985, Nimoy played a chauffeur in The Bangles' cover of “Going Down to Liverpool”. More recently, he appeared with Shatner in Bruno Mars’ video for “The Lazy Song”. It shows Nimoy enjoying a lazy day walking in his neighborhood wearing his bathrobe and slippers.
Still, there are some people who can’t see Nimoy as anything but Spock.
45. She Crushed On Spock
When Nimoy was on Today as part of the promotion of Star Trek, the 2009 movie, he had an encounter that got too close. Al Roker was the host, and he told Nimoy that someone at NBC had a big crush on Spock. Roker confided that that someone was news anchor Ann Curry. To Nimoy’s embarrassment, Curry came out and gave him a big kiss.
But kisses from news anchors aside, Nimoy certainly paid a toll for playing Spock.
46. He Couldn’t Let Go
Nimoy’s son, Adam Nimoy, said that even when his father wasn't playing Spock, he had trouble with emotional expression. He said that Nimoy could better relate to Spock than he could to his own children. Adam also mentioned his father’s addiction to drink to deal with playing such an iconic character.
But somehow this addiction led to a reconciliation.
47. They Met Up In Rehab
Nimoy and his son, Adam, both eventually ended up in a 12-step program for addiction. This helped them get back to a place where they could have a relationship. Adam never lost respect for his father and made a documentary about him in 2016 called For the Love of Spock.
But eventually Nimoy had to say a final goodbye to his Vulcan character.
48. He Put A Stop To It
Leonard Nimoy could have gone to his grave making money appearing as Spock at conventions. In 2011, he said goodbye to this easy paycheck. He also quit acting altogether. He said he wanted to be with his family. He did briefly change his mind and appeared in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek reboots in 2010 and 2013.
Maybe fittingly, Star Trek Into Darkness was his final role.
49. He Got A Diagnosis
It was in January 2014, that Nimoy made a stunning announcement. He had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As his disease became worse, Nimoy heartbreakingly asked to have one-to-one conversations with family members. When the pain became unbearable, he asked for euthanization.
It was time for Nimoy to go home.
50. He Had Famous Last Words
Nimoy passed on February 27, 2015 at the age of 83. His last recorded words were in a poetic tweet: "A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" (Live Long and Prosper). Nimoy was Spock until the end.
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25